<333!!
WC: 526
Nier's hand was warm, despite the dampness of his dark fur. He let go once she had risen, and she appreciated the small gesture, particularly because he did not seem to question how much effort it had taken her. Standing was a chore, especially on her weakened ankles, and she looked forward to curling up and napping somewhere warm. Nier shook his wet hair, spattering her with droplets, and she huffed at him, pulling the fur-lined hood of her cloak to shield her face. She longed to take the dripping garment off, but doing so would reveal her shame to a packmate who seemed to genuinely care about her well-being. Instead she focused in on what he was saying to her, trying to keep her tired thoughts from wandering again.
"I didn't know you were into horses. I thought that was just Saul's thing..." she mused aloud, peering suspiciously at the long-eared creature and how easily Niernan befriended him, leading him to a stall. "I guess you really like having pets. Does Bran dislike Darcy, too?" she finally concluded, tilting her head as she considered it. Companion animals were still a bit beyond her comprehension -- while Nier and Ciaran were obviously friends and could communicate to some degree, horses were more like heavy ugly deer that stomped on wolves with their boulder hooves. That was her distorted perception, anyway, having only met her first horse quite recently, when winter faded into spring. She crinkled her nose at the long-eared thing as it was safely locked behind the stall door, making the herb garden officially safe again. "Are you sure he doesn't belong to anyone? He's awfully tame for a wild horse, he followed me the whole way here..." she admitted with a frown, knowing she could never have caught a stallion that didn't want to be captured. It could have been worse. It could have also been a lot better, though, with sunshine and no horses and her garden intact.
Niernan moved to a different stall door, where the sounds of clattering hooves set Coli's ears back apprehensively. Still she followed at a safe distance, and when the door swung open she caught her first glimpse of a foal. Its proportions were unmistakeably childlike, with wide dark eyes and long spindly legs just like a fawn. Nier had told the truth about its size, and that was the most off-putting part about horses in general, ranking them as high as bears or mountain lions in Coli's skewed list of dangerous creatures. Despite herself, she felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, as she watched the little one scamper over and press itself against his caregiver. She did like baby things, especially now that she could not get maternity off her mind. Nier glanced up and caught her gazing fondly at the foal, and Coli quickly looked away, adopting a surly frown to mask her enamored smile. "Darcy looks nicer than the one I found," she mumbled, rubbing her arms together beneath her cloak. She was still soaked and chilly, and his previous offer of cuddling with the baby horse was rather tempting...
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